Mom seen breastfeeding 4-year-old child called 'gross,' 'disturbing'

A mom is being shamed on social media for breastfeeding her four-year-old daughter.
(iStock)

A mother of two is being shamed on social media for nursing her kids beyond the “normal” age.

The unnamed woman, who has a three-year-old and a four-year-old, shared her story on the website, Love What Matters, explaining how she wants to normalize breastfeeding.

She said she’s nursed both of her daughters longer than what society considers appropriate. “My plan was to nurse my children full term until they chose to wean on their own. I ended up tandem nursing for two-and-a-half years until my oldest was 4-and-a-half and she weaned. My youngest is 3-and-a-half and is still happily nursing a couple of times a day. She will wean when she is good and ready,” the mom told Love What Matters.

But based on the mom’s story, it sounds like she’s used to the criticism, which has only fueled her mission. “Sometimes when people hear that my children nurse for much longer than what is seen as normal, they get weird and disgusted. This is exactly why we are so passionate about these photos and normalizing breastfeeding," she said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends “breastfeeding for about the first six months of a baby's life, followed by breastfeeding in combination with the introduction of complementary foods until at least 12 months of age, and continuation of breastfeeding for as long as mutually desired by mother and baby.”